Tuesday, March 6, 2012
All four won their election bids, and West pulled off that rarest of feats in Reading—knocking off an incumbent.
The early results are in for Reading’s local election, and while it looks John Arena has been elected to the Board of Selectmen by a sizable margin, the races for Board of Assessors and the Reading Municipal Light Department were much, much closer. According to unofficial results taken directly from the polls, Arena defeated challenger Karen Gately Herrick by a margin of 2,266 votes to 1,477—a gap of 789 votes. Arena said he felt gratified by the margin of his victory, but thinks he could have done even better. “Frankly, I think I could have kicked it up,” said Arena following his victory speech at RCTV Studios. “If I hadn’t had the work pressures, I think I could have campaigned a little more vigorously ... The trouble with a small town …
As of 7 p.m., 22 percent of voters had cast their ballots.
[Editor's Note: 22 percent of registered voters have cast votes as of 7 p.m.] The polls were jumping this afternoon at Hawkes Field House, as Reading residents came out to cast their ballots for the 2012 local election as well as the presidential primary. A total of 3,609 Readingites had voted as of 1 p.m., according to voter turnout data posted at the polling place, with Precinct 1 boasting the highest turnout at 582 voters, while Precinct 6 was bringing up the rear with 351 voters turning up. As of 1 p.m., 10.6 percent of all Reading registered voters had cast ballots. Here’s how the numbers looked by precinct as of 1 p.m. While still too early to speculate about who is leading the way in the Republican or Green-Rainbow party primaries…
Monday, March 5, 2012
Reading's Town Clerk is predicting a 30-35 percent turnout for tomorrow's local election and state presidential primary.
Tomorrow’s Super Tuesday primary will take on added importance for Reading voters, as, not only will they be casting votes in the Massachusetts primary, but they will also be voting in the 2012 local election. The state has predicted a relatively light turnout in terms of primary voters, and even with the added boost of several contested local races, Reading could follow suit. Town Clerk Laura Gemme says she is predicting a 30 to 35 percent turnout, but hoping those numbers prove to be low, and that contested town races such as Board of Selectmen, Board of Assessors and RMLD Board of Commissioners will help to spark some added interest. “Our local elections have averaged from 4 to 30 percent,” she said. “This one is going to bring some …
Friday, March 2, 2012
Candidate for RMLD Board of Commissioners candidate Marsie West has issued the following statement.
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Friday, March 2, 2012
As candidate for Commissioner for Reading Municipal Light Department, I’d like to introduce myself. My husband and I have lived in Reading for 18 years. We have 2 sons educated in Reading schools, which prepared them well for their college years. A volunteer in town government and youth organizations since 1997, I’m currently active in Town Meeting and a member of Reading Finance Committee for 9 years, serving as Chair for 2 years. As a member of the Audit and Finance Committees, I have reviewed RMLD financial reports over the years. I also served as Treasurer of Cub Scout Pack 728 for 4 years and managed 6 Destination Imagination / Odyssey of the Mind teams across 9 years. I bring strong financial and analytical skills to the …
Ron D'Addario has written a letter of endorsement for Karen Gately Herrick's Board of Selectmen bid.
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Friday, March 2, 2012
I will vote for Karen Herrick this Tuesday, and I ask you to do the same. I have sat near Karen at town meeting for a number of years. Although we have not always voted the same way on various issues, I was always impressed with Karen’s knowledge of the issues. In addition to her years on town meeting, Karen has served on the Reading Solid Waste Committee, the Reading Tax Classification Committee, and the Reading Historical Commission. These are not necessarily high profile committees; nevertheless, they need volunteer residents to accomplish the needed town work. Without a spot light, Karen volunteered to do just that. Furthermore, with a youngster in our middle school system, Karen has served on a number of committees at the Wood End …
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Here is a full recap of all questions and answers from Tuesday night's debate at RCTV.
In what figures to be the last major campaign event before the March 6 local election, Board of Selectmen candidates John Arena and Karen Gately Herrick squared off in a debate last night at RCTV Studios on Main Street. Meanwhile, just a few hundred yards up the road, the Selectmen, Town Manager and the Assistant Town Manager bid farewell to Camille Anthony, as she chaired her final Selectmen meeting after 18 years. Arena and Herrick are vying to fill the seat Anthony is leaving behind. The debate was moderated by Kevin Vendt and Dick Curtis, and each candidate was issued to “rebuttal cards” to be used to respond to a statement, or to lengthen the allotted time for answers. A coin flip was used to determine who would field the first …
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Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Reading Patch hosted a live blog from Tuesday's debate.
Two candidates, one vacant seat on the Board of Selectmen. John Arena and Karen Gately Herrick will go toe-to-toe this evening in a candidate debate at RCTV Studios on Main Street. The debate represents the best chance for voters to hear what the candidates are all about before the March 6 election. The debate will air at 7 p.m. and will be hosted by Kevin Vendt and Dick Curtis, who have hosted RCTV’s election coverage for the past five years. Can't tune in live on TV? No sweat. Reading Patch has you covered. We will be blogging live from the debate, starting at 7 p.m., so no matter where you are, if you're near a computer, you can follow along with the discussion as the two candidates vie for the privilege of serving as one of Reading's …
Friday, February 24, 2012
A group of local citizens have put pen to paper in support of Karen Gately Herrick for Board of Selectmen.
To the Editor: We are writing to voice our support for Karen Gately Herrick for a seat on the Board of Selectmen. We believe that Karen has the right combination of experience, education, proven commitment to the community through volunteer service, work ethic, and open mind to guide her to serve productively and successfully as a Selectman. These qualities have served her well in her years of service with Reading town government, and will continue to serve her as Reading faces some difficult challenges ahead. Knowledge of the issues. Karen is the candidate who has served 10 years as a Town Meeting member, and is the only candidate who has long-term experience evaluating the finances of the town and voting on the town budget. Karen served …
Watch candidates running for elected office in Reading speak about why they should get your vote on March 6, courtesy of RCTV.
With Reading's local election just around the corner, it's crunch time for candidates running for office in contested races. John Arena and Karen Gately Herrick are both vying to fill the seat on the Board of Selectmen set to be vacated by current Chairperson Camille Anthony, who, in turn, is battling Robert Quinn for the seat soon to be surrendered by Robert Nordstrand, who is retiring. Incumbents Richard Hahn and Mary Ellen O'Neill are in competition with Marsie West as all three duke it out for two seats on the Reading Municipal Light Department Board of Commissioners. Check out the attached videos to see which candidates are speaking your language. The 2012 Local Election will be held in conjunction with the state republican primary on…
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
RCTV held a candidates forum at its Main Street studio on Feb. 16.
Reading Community Television (RCTV) held a candidates forum at its Main Street studio on Feb. 16. Camille Anthony and Robert Quinn are competing for one position, a three-year term on the Board of Assessors. Both candidates discussed the role of the assessor as well as fielded a variety of questions from moderator Thomas J. Ryan, former Chairman of the Board of Assessors. The 2012 Local Election will be held on March 6, in conjunction with the Massachusetts Republican Primary, with all precincts voting at Hawkes Field House at Reading Memorial High School. Watch the attached video, and when it comes time to cast your ballot, you can do so with the knowledge that you are making an informed decision regarding the future stewardship of your …
Joella Wieselquist
6:54 am on Monday, March 12, 2012
I sent an email to the editor about the merge. But if you go to 'contact us' there is an option to write your thoughts. Maybe if everyone who doesn't want the merger should just write something everyday. That might get their attention. But be nice. :) more ›